Tag: Brian Allen

Quarterback Matthew Stafford is rested and raring to go after the Los Angeles Rams’ bye week.

The defending Super Bowl champions are hopeful Stafford hit reset during his respite, after his opening six games offered more clunkers than crystal.

“Just kind of give yourself a little mental and physical break,’’ Stafford said about how he spent his down time. “But I feel good, excited to get back at it.’’

The “it” factor has gone missing from many of Stafford’s performances. After directing the Rams to their second Super Bowl title in his first year with the team, his encore season has been underwhelming.

Although Stafford has completed an impressive 71 percent of his attempts, he’s thrown for only six touchdowns against eight interceptions, with a quarterback rating just shy of 85. Two of those picks were returned for touchdowns, half as many as last year.

The Rams (3-3) want more from Stafford and they are banking on it starting this Sunday, when L.A. tries to break its seven-game, regular-season losing streak to the visiting San Francisco 49ers (3-4).

Stafford is one of four Rams with a salary cap hit that is north of $13 million. The top three atop of L.A.’s pricey list of defensive tackle Aaron Donald, safety Jalen Ramsey and wide receiver Cooper Kupp have carried the weight.

Stafford, not so much.

Maybe the return of two teammates, center Brian Allen and wide receiver Van Jefferson, will lift Stafford’s game as he’s eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark just once this year.

Stafford gushed about Allen’s communication skills in making sure his colleagues are on the same blocking page. With Jefferson, Stafford gets a pass-catcher that can create separation and openings for others.

Jefferson, who’s balky knee delayed his season debut until Sunday, serves as a complementary piece for Kupp, an All-Pro, and newcomer Allen Robinson.

“He’s just another really talented player on the outside,’’ Stafford said. “The fun thing about playing in this offense is Cooper’s running deep routes, Allen’s running deep routes, Van’s running deep routes, everybody kind of does everything.

“To have another guy that’s of that talent, of that caliber out there is just going to make us better.’’

The Rams, losers in two of their past three games, are looking for any and every way to shake their funk. They’ve seldom resembled the squad that eliminated the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals en route to their title.

Instead the offense has been a big blah. While some of it is Stafford’s fault, there’s plenty of blame to distribute.

The running game, with disgruntled back Cam Akers down again this week as the team attempts to trade him, has been shaky. The protection has been spotty, with injuries wrecking any chance of continuity.

Coach Sean McVay states that he could be doing a better job calling plays.

But the spotlight goes to the man taking snaps. Stafford seems unfazed by his slow start as he’s confident the good times will soon roll.

“The seasons that I’ve had in this league where we’ve been successful as a team, we’ve gotten better as the year went on,’’ Stafford said. “And hopefully we can continue to do that.’’